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ABSTRACT

Introduction: Although previous studies focus on the patient experience of depression and antidepressant medication, their primary objective is not concerned with the patient experience of stopping medication. This poster presents findings from a mixed method study that aims to explore patients� fears and concerns when anticipating stopping antidepressant medication.
Methods: The study has two phases, a survey of a general practice population and in-depth interviews with a sub-sample of the original survey respondents. Drawing on Kleinman�s theory of explanatory models of illness, a questionnaire was sent to 572 patients who were receiving either a tricyclic antidepressant or an SSRI antidepressant from one General Practice. A sub-sample of 30 patients was purposively identified from the 201 questionnaire respondents and were interviewed using Lloyd at al�s Short Explanatory Model Interview framework. The aim of the interviews was to increase understanding of patients� explanatory models to understand how they anticipate the cessation of antidepressant medication, what their anxieties and concerns might be, and how this transforms their perception of recovery and cure.
Results: The 30 interview transcripts were analysed using Framework, a systematic approach to data analysis which is transparent and reproducible. Themes identified from the interviews include:
- Stigma
- Depression - a chemical imbalance in the brain?
- Recovery - the role of antidepressants
- The evolution of a new self through the experience of depression
- Antidepressants - are they friend or foe?
- Fear of a return to depression when stopping antidepressants
- Depression - the first step on a trajectory to madness?
Conclusion: The in-depth interviews revealed multiple insights into how individuals contextualise depression, accept the role of antidepressants, experience fears when planning to stop antidepressants, anticipate and define recovery from depression, and the impact of depression on constructs of self.

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